WATCH | Satire and Threat to Freedom of Expression - video Dailymotion

OutlookIndia

Ten years ago, on January 7, 2015, two gunmen stormed the Paris office of Charlie Hebdo, a satirical magazine, and killed 12 people.  Right now, Vikatan, a century-old Tamil magazine in India, faces the prospect of a digital ban after a cartoon sparked controversy.  From the French Revolution to the Emergency in India to the Arab Spring, cartoons have been used effectively as a tool of dissent.  But in this age of rising authoritarianism, satire is increasingly seen as a threat.  Watch the full Deep Dive to know more.  Reporter: Rani Jana  Camera: Suresh Pandey  Editor: Divya Tiwari   #PoliticalCartoons #Politics #Cartoons #FreedomofExpression #Censorship #Satire #PressFreedom #TamilNadu #Tamil #TamilMagazine #AnandaVikatan #CharlieHebdo #Paris #France

Transcript

00:00On January 7, 2015, two gunmen stormed the Paris office of the magazine Charlie Hebdo,

00:07killing 12 people, including some of Hebdo's star cartoonists.

00:12The brutal attack, a direct assault on freedom of expression, sent shockwaves across the world.

00:19The magazine had been targeted for publishing satirical cartoons of Prophet Muhammad.

00:24But even before and after the Charlie Hebdo attack, political cartoonists have paid a heavy price for their work,

00:31some with their freedom and others with even their lives.

00:35Welcome to Deep Dive with Outlook. Today we will discuss satire and freedom of expression.

00:41Right now, Wiketan, a century-old Tamil magazine in India,

00:45faces the prospect of a digital ban after a cartoon-sparked controversy.

00:51Cartoons are more than just doodles. They have challenged kings, dictators and leaders of democracies alike.

00:58From the French Revolution to the emergency in India to the Arab Spring,

01:03cartoons have been used effectively as a tool of dissent.

01:07But in this age of rising authoritarianism, satire is increasingly seen as a threat.

01:13Take British cartoonist Steve Bell, fired from the British newspaper The Guardian in 2023

01:20over an unpublished cartoon of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

01:25Bell was accused of anti-Semitism.

01:28In Turkey, Musa Kaat was jailed for drawing cartoons critical of President Erdogan.

01:34In China, Jiang Yefei was arrested even after fleeing to Thailand.

01:39In Bangladesh, Ahmed Kabir Kishore was jailed for 10 months for his life in the time of Corona series,

01:46critical of the government's handling of public health during the COVID pandemic.

01:51He fled the country in 2021 and now lives in exile.

01:56Ugandan cartoonist Jimmy Spire Sentango faced online harassment after exposing the corrupt authorities.

02:04Kashmiri cartoonist Mir Suhail, who is now in New York, fears he would have been jailed had he stayed in India.

02:12Indian cartoonist Rachita Taneja still faces contempt of court charges

02:17over her satirical online comic strip Sanitary Panels.

02:21The crackdown on cartoonists isn't just about censorship.

02:25Political satire exposes corruption, hypocrisy and injustice in eloquent ways.

02:31Authoritarian governments fear it. Right-wing groups take offence and create a furor.

02:37Even those who are in power in many democratic nations find it hard to tolerate satire when it targets them.

02:45So, are we now witnessing the death of political cartoons? Not quite.

02:50Digital comics, meme culture and AI-generated satire are evolving tools of dissent.

02:56But cartoonists remain at risk. They are not just fighting censorship.

03:01They are fighting for their lives and their freedom.

03:04As the world debates the extent of freedom of expression, one question remains.

03:10If a society cannot take a joke, can it really call itself free?

03:14You can read more on this issue on our website.

WATCH | Satire and Threat to Freedom of Expression

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